Pin connector



Jan. 2, 1968 Q. BERG PIN CONNECTOR Filed Jan. 19, 1966 INVENTOR. QUENTIN BERG ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,362,008 PIN CONNECTOR Quentin Berg, Berg Electronics, Inc., New Cumberland, Pa. 17070 Filed Jan. 19, 1966, Ser. No. 521,606 8 Claims. (Cl. 339-258) This invention relates to a new and improved electrical connector and particularly to a miniature connector which positively guides the contact pin into proper position within the connector to assure proper electrical contact is made therebetween.

With conventional miniature pin connectors it is easy to insert the pin into the connector improperly. Such improper assembly may damage the connector and does not achieve the desired positive electrical contact between the pin and the connector body. A connector according to the invention assures proper alignment with the connector pin by positively guiding the pin into the connector body.

Accordingly, the principal object of the invention is to provide a new and improved electrical connector.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electrical connector which during insertion of a contact pin guides the pin into proper alignment within the connector.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top elevational view of a connector according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the connector;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 showing a contact pin inserted within the connector; and

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIGURE 5.

A connector 10 according to the invention is preferably formed from sheet metal stock such as Phosphor bronze and includes spaced rectilinear sleeve portions 12 and 14 which are interconnected solely by inwardly bowed spring portions 16. Each spring portion 16 carries a medially located alignment tab 18 at one edge thereof. The tabs extend at right angles to the spring portions 16 and cooperate with them as shown in FIGURE 3 to form a pin guide. A suitable wire crimp end 20 is provided for securing the connector to a wire or other suitable circuit means. The outer end of socket 12 is flared to provide a lead-in 22 for guiding a pin 24 as it is moved in the direction of the arrow in FIGURE 1 toward the fully inserted position shown in FIGURE 5.

During the manufacture of the connector the spring portions 16 are coined so that their thickness is decreased toward the center or medial portions thereof. The inward bowing of the spring portions 16 is such that the minimum spacing between the springs is slightly less than the width of the square contact pin 24. The tabs 18 and the major opposed sides 26 and 28 of the similar rectilinear sleeve portions 12 and 14 are spaced apart a distance equal to the thickness of the square pin 24. The shorter sides 30 and 32 of the rectilinear sleeves 12 and 14 are spaced apart a distance greater than the width of the pin 24. Connectors 10 may be manufactured in chain form and then plated with a suitably conductive metal, such as gold, to improve the contact between the connector and pin.

The contact pin 24 is inserted into the connector socket formed by sleeves 12 and 14 and interconnecting spring portions 16 by first seating the end of the pin 24 in the flared portion 22 of sleeve 12 and then pushing the pin home in the socket so that the end of the pin extends past the sleeve 14 as illustrated in FIGURE 5. The tapered end of the pin 24 cooperates with the flared lead-in 22 so that when the pin is loosely seated in the lead-in, the proper angular orientation is achieved between the pin side-walls and the sleeve sides 26 and 28. The width of the sleeve 12 allows for a slight angular discrepancy between the pin and socket as the pin is inserted. Such discrepancy will result in the end of the pin hitting one of the spring portions 16 and being guided by the spring into proper alignment in the socket as insertion continues. The tabs 18 cooperate with sleeve 12 to prevent the pin from being skewed within the connector and missing the sleeve 14. The tabs 18 are not coined during the manufacture of the connector and accordingly are of original stock thickness. This thickness gives them additional rigidity for guiding the pin into proper alignment within the connector.

As illustrated in FIGURE 5, the insertion of the pin within the connector causes the spring members 16 to be bowed outwardly slightly. The medial portions of the springs are held in intimate contact with the pin so as to establish a positive electrical connection therebetween. As the pin is inserted in the socket it Wipes the contact surface of the spring member and breaks up any surface oxides to improve the contact between the pin and the connector. The central thinning of the spring portions 16 results in elastic deformation during pin insertion to assure a long useful life.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is understood that this is capable of modification and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. An electrical connector formed from an integral piece of thin sheet metal to provide means for crimping on to an electrical conductor and an elongated socket for telescopically receiving and yieldably holding an essentially square pin terminal, said socket comprising aligned, longitudinally spaced rectangular sleeve portions interconnected solely by oppositely disposed longitudinal spring portions running between corresponding sides of said sleeve portions, said spring portions being inwardly bowed toward each other intermediate their ends so as to provide single curvature contact surfaces presented toward the axis of the socket and more closely spaced than the inner surfaces of the corresponding sides of each sleeve for engagement with opposed flat sides of the pin terminal, each spring portion having an alignment tab medially located at one side thereof and extending toward the other spring portion, said tabs being oppositely disposed and cooperable with said spring portions to guide the pin connector into the socket, said tabs and said cooperable spring portions defining a rectangular sleeve with each tab having its free end adjacent an inner side of its cooperable spring portion.

2. A connector as in claim 1 wherein one of said sockets is flared outwardly at the end thereof to provide a lead-in to guide the pin during insertion into the socket.

3. A connector as in claim 1 wherein said spring portions are uniformly thinned toward the center thereof and said tabs are thicker than the medial portions of said spring portions.

4. A connector as in claim 1 wherein in each sleeve the opposed corresponding sides thereof are shorter than the other opposed sides thereof.

5. A connector as in claim 1 wherein the height of said tabs is substantially equal to the width of said spring portions.

6. An electrical connector formed from an integral piece of thin sheet metal to provide means for crimping on to an electrical conductor and an elongated socket for telescopically receiving and yieldably holding a terminal, said socket comprising aligned, longitudinally spaced pin holding means interconnected solely by oppositely disposed longitudinal spring portions running between corresponding portions of said pin holding means, said spring portions being inwardly bowed toward each other intermediate their ends so as to provide single curvature contact surfaces presented toward the axis of the socket and more closely spaced than the inner surfaces of said pin holding means for engagement with the pin terminal, each spring portion having an alignment tab medially located at one side thereof and extending toward the other spring portion whereby said spring portions and tabs cooperate to align the pin connector within the socket, said tabs and said cooperable spring portions defining a rectangular sleeve with each tab having its free end adjacent an inner side of its cooperable spring portion.

7. A connector as in claim 6 wherein said spring portions are uniformly thinned toward the center thereof and said tabs are thicker than the medial portions of said spring portions.

8. A connector as in claim 6 wherein the height of said tabs is substantially equal to the width of said spring portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,155,449 11/1964 Henschen 339258 3,189,868 6/1965 Hatfield 339258 3,262,087 7/1966 Mancini 339256 3,317,887 5/1967 Henschen et a1 339--256 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

20 P. TEITELBAUM, Assistant Examiner. 

6. AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR FORMED FROM AN INTEGRAL PIECE OF THIN SHEET METAL TO PROVIDE MEANS FOR CRIMPING ON TO AN ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR AND AN ELONGATED SOCKET FOR TELESCOPICALLY RECEIVING AND YIELDABLY HOLDING A TERMINAL, SAID SOCKET COMPRISING ALIGNED, LONGITUDINALLY SPACED PIN HOLDING MEANS INTERCONNECTED SOLELY BY OPPOSITELY DISPOSED LONGITUDINAL SPRING PORTIONS RUNNING BETWEEN CORRESPONDING PORTIONS OF SAID PIN HOLDING MEANS, SAID SPRING PORTIONS BEING INWARDLY BOWED TOWARD EACH OTHER INTERMEDIATE THEIR ENDS SO AS TO PROVIDE SINGLE CURVATURE CONTACT SURFACES PRESENTED TOWARD THE AXIS OF THE SOCKET AND MORE CLOSELY SPACED THAN THE INNER SURFACES OF SAID PIN HOLDING MEANS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PIN TERMINAL, EACH SPRING PORTION HAVING AN ALIGNED TAB MEDIALLY LOCATED AT ONE SIDE THEREOF AND EXTENDING TOWARD THE OTHER SPRING PORTION WHEREBY SAID SPRING PORTIONS AND TABS COOPERATE TO ALIGN THE PIN CONNECTOR WITHIN THE SOCKET, SAID TABS AND SAID COOPERABLE SPRING PORTIONS DEFINING A RECTANGULAR 